VIENTIANE, LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (26 September 2018) — Economic growth for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is expected to moderate in 2018, as agriculture and mining outputs are forecast to underperform, although an expansion in electricity generation, construction, and services will partially offset these adverse effects, according to a new Asian Development Bank report.

VIENTIANE, LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACTIC REPUBLIC (17 September 2018) — The Asian Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a $48 million grant to help improve urban environmental services and enhance economic connectivity in Paksan and Thakhek, two of the least developed towns along the Greater Mekong Subregion Central Corridor in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project is helping transform transport corridors in the Greater Mekong Subregion into economic corridors by developing upstream and downstream linkages in agribusiness supply chains in a climate-friendly manner.

A pilot project is introducing the use of barcodes to track the quality and safety of food in the Greater Mekong Subregion from “farm to shelf, then table.”

BEIJING, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (29 August 2018) — Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao and People’s Republic of China Minister of Finance and ADB Governor Liu Kun met during Mr. Nakao’s 2-day visit to the PRC, in which he reaffirmed ADB’s support for the country’s development priorities.  

Foreign ministers from Japan and five Mekong nations this month identified areas of cooperation under a new strategy and reviewed the progress of joint projects in the East-West Economic Corridor and Southern Economic Corridor.

Economic zones are growth engines of the Greater Mekong Subregion, stimulating economic activity and creating jobs. Yet, not much attention has been given to the social and health aspects of economic zone development until recently.

Myanmar has opened an electronic company registry, which will help simplify and reduce the cost of setting up a business in one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

VIENTIANE, LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (31 July 2018) — The Asian Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a $40.5 million grant to help farmers and agribusinesses develop sustainable and climate-smart agriculture value chains in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.